1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a call screening method in a facsimile apparatus with a portable unit, and more particularly to a call screening method for outputting an incoming message to a speaker of a portable unit while the incoming message is recorded in a main unit of the facsimile having a telephone answering function.
2. Related Art
Generally, a facsimile system having an automatic telephone answering function as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,851 for Facsimile Apparatus Operable In Facsimile Or Conversation Mode issued to Kotani et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,455 for Facsimile Arrangement Having Automatic Answering Telephone Set And Facsimile Set And Switching Process Therefor issued to Satomi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,179 for Facsimile Apparatus With Automatic Answering Telephone Function issued to Yamamoto et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,463 for Facsimile Machine Having Telephone Answering Function issued to Ohnishi, U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,771 for Facsimile Machine Having Answering Function issued to Ohnishi, U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,105 for Facsimile Apparatus Operable In Facsimile Or Telephone Mode issued to Sakai, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,557 for Facsimile Apparatus With Automatic Telephone Answering Function issued to Tanaka, includes a facsimile module for facsimile communication, an attached telephone for telephone communication, and a recording device for recording a voice message from a caller. Typically, the facsimile system is connected directly via a telephone line for access to the public switched telephone network. When a remote caller wants to call or send a facsimile to a host facsimile system, the caller accesses the host facsimile system by dialing its telephone number via a remote telephone or a remote facsimile system. If a caller sends a signal via a telephone when the facsimile system answers in a telephone/facsimile mode, telephone conversation is permitted. If the caller sends a signal via a remote facsimile system when the facsimile system answers in the same telephone/facsimile mode, facsimile communication is permitted. On the other hand, if the caller sends a signal via a telephone when the facsimile system answers in an answering/facsimile mode, an answering message is transmitted to the caller upon signal reception and a voice message from the caller is recorded. If the caller sends a signal via a remote facsimile system when the facsimile system answers in the answering/facsimile mode, facsimile communication is permitted.
In recent years, facsimile systems have become ubiquitous and are commonly available both in the workplace and in the home office. Facsimile technology has become more desirable as a means to efficiently facilitate telephonic communication between subscribers. For example, cordless telephone sets with automatic answering function as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,655 for Cordless Telephone With Automatic Telephone Answering/Recording Function issued to Hashimoto, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,259 for Answering Machine With Cordless Telephone issued to Scordato, have been incorporated into a facsimile system in the manner described by, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,200,991 for Image Communication System Including a Mobile Telephone Set And A Facsimile Device issued to Motoyanagi, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,329 for Facsimile Apparatus And Alarm System With Cordless Telephone Set issued to Hayashi, provide for greater ease of telephonic and facsimile communications between subscribers. Other cordless types of facsimile systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,511 for Facsimile System With Base Unit Connected To Wire Network And In Communication With Multiple Extension Sets By Wire Or Radio Transmission issued to Nagatomo, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,608 for Cordless Communication Facsimile System issued to Charbonnier et al. In Nagatomo ""511, the facsimile system is stationary and connected to a telephone network but a plurality of portable extension sets in the form of scanners are cordless and mobile for multiple users to share the common facsimile system. In Charbonnier ""608, the facsimile system is intended to operate in two modes: a handset mode in which the system is used as a cordless telephone handset, and a base mode in which the system is used as a conventional facsimile system.
Some recent models of facsimile systems with an automatic telephone answering function, as I have observed, may also provide a call screening function for permitting the user (subscriber) to listen to an incoming massage while the incoming message is being recorded during the automatic telephone answering function. However, when the user is far away from the facsimile system, he/she cannot hear the incoming message. Therefore, there is a need for a facsimile system, as I have observed, that is capable of alerting a user of an incoming message while the incoming message is being recorded even when the user is far away from the facsimile system.
According, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improve fascimile system having an automatic telephone answering function.
It is also an object to provide a facsimile system having a main unit connected to a telephone network and at least one portable unit that is cordless and mobile relative to the main unit for call screening during an automatic telephone answering function.
It is another object to provide a call screening method of a facsimile system having a stationary main unit and a cordless, mobile portable unit at a location remote from the main unit for performing a call screening function.
It is yet another object to provide a call screening method of a facsimile system having a stationary main unit and a cordless, mobile portable unit for alerting a user of an incoming message at the cordless, mobile portable unit while the incoming message is being recorded in the main unit of the facsimile system.
These and other objects of the present invention can be achieved by a call screening method of a facsimile system having a station main unit connected to a telephone network and a cordless portable unit. The method comprises the steps of: recording an incoming message of an incoming call received from the telephone network in a telephone answering device of the facsimile system while performing a telephone answering function; forming a radio communication link between the stationary main unit of the facsimile system and the cordless portable unit; and outputting the incoming message to a speaker of the cordless portable unit through the radio communication link while the incoming message is being simultaneously recorded in the telephone answering device to permit a user to screen an incoming call.
The present invention is more specifically described in the following paragraphs by reference to the drawings attached only by way of example.